Warsaw Class
Intended to replace Miranda Class Light Cruisers as Destroyer Flotilla leaders, the Warsaw Class was fairly unremarkable in herself, but by freeing up the larger vessels for Cruiser Squadron duties, had a profound effect on the outcome of the War of Pacification and the General War. Development Traditionally in Starfleet, Destroyer Flotillas were lead either by Light Cruisers or by individual Destroyers assigned as leaders with no modifications to their systems. This system worked well enough for the first half of the 23rd Century, indeed the Destroyers of this period were often ex-Light Cruiser designs that had been downrated. The 4-Day War in 2266 was too limited in scope and duration to reveal any issues with this system, but the much larger Organian Conflict beginning in 2285 showed that due to combat attrition, soon there was a shortage of Miranda Class Light Cruisers. They were badly needed both as Destroyer Flotilla Leaders and as support vessels in Cruiser Squadrons. There were some design studies into a Destroyer-Hulled command and control ship for Destroyer Flotillas, but by the time they had reached a stage where production might be considered, production of Miranda Class ships had increased to solve the shortage. Never the less, the Light Cruiser attrition problem in the Organian Conflict had revealed an alarming weakness in Starfleet's ability to wage a protracted war. When the Organians returned in 2289, bringing with them the Interstellar Concordium and their immense Interstellar Pacification Force fleets, the need for a Destroyer Leader returned with added urgency. Fortunately, a design team had been working on such a vessel for the past year. Using largely standard Type II D components from the Akula Class Refit, and borrowing other components from the Soyuz Class Gun Cruiser, the new design was proceeding quickly and needed the minimum of systems testing before entering full production. This was a blessing, as losses against the Interstellar Pacification Force were mounting. The Warsaw Class, as she was eventually christened, differed from the Akula Class Refit by the replacement of her bow Type B Phaser Emitter with a basic Electronic Warfare Equipment suite (ECCM only) and it's integrated sensor array. The normal ventral sensor dome was replaced with a cylindrical mounting for a new weapon taken from the Soyuz Class Gun Cruiser; the Type H Phaser Emitter, colloquially known as the Megaphaser. This weapon was in fact a Phaser Cannon, a miniaturised derivative of the Type III Assault Phaser and it's earlier ancestor the 'Kaminari' Type II Phaser Cannon. Whilst possessing a limited forward firing arc, and firing in a series of staccato pulses rather than a cohesive beam, the Megaphaser was considerably more powerful than the standard Type B Phaser Emitter, giving the Warsaw Class a formidable punch when leading Destroyer Flotillas into battle. Operational History As is to be expected with a ship comprised of 90% standard and proven systems, the introduction of the Warsaw Class went without incident. The Megaphaser did cause some operational problems, being prone to overheating in protracted engagements. Crews simply adapted and changed firing drills to compensate, and many engineers personally tinkered with the cooling systems to increase their efficiency. Although originally designed to face Klingon and Romulan warships in battle, the Warsaw Class fought her first war alongside these ships against the starships of the Interstellar Pacification Force. She allowed Miranda Class Light Cruisers to be concentrated in Cruiser Squadrons alongside the heavier Constitution Class Refit Heavy Cruisers. This gave those Squadrons the necessary weight of fire and staying power to face ISC Cruiser Echelons, altering the entire course of the war. With the outbreak of the General War in 2292, the Warsaw Class again went to war leading Destroyer Flotillas against the forces of the ISC. With the Federation Prime Fleet deployed to the distant Galactic Fringe, the Warsaw Class never saw combat against Klingon or Romulan forces. Apocrypha With the end of the General War in August 2292, both the Akula Class Refit and the Warsaw Class were stipulated for replacement. Despite the fact that the Warsaws were only 4 years old at this point, they were an old design and the much older Akula Class Refit was due to be replaced by a larger, far more capable Destroyer. The signing of the Khitomer Accords in 2293 delayed this process, as it was seen by many to be wasteful to be replacing such young ships when the main opponent facing the Federation no longer posed a threat. The Akula Class Refit and the Warsaw Class carried on in service until 2310, when they were replaced by the Centaur Class. This large Destroyer was based on the same Type E systems as the Excelsior Class Battlecruiser, which was rapidly becoming the new standard Cruiser for Starfleet. The Centaur Class was large enough to carry sufficient command and control equipment without modification, and so the need for a separate Destroyer Leader was past. Specifications * Class: 'Destroyer Leader * 'Hull Type Designation: '''FDL * '''Length: 235m * Crew: 110 * Warp Nacelles: '''2 * '''Maximum Sublight Speed: 4200 k/s (42 Mk/s) * Cruise Warp Factor Speed: wf 7.2 * Safe Maximum Warp Factor Speed: wf 9.5 * Hull Rating: '230 HSF * 'Shield Rating: 407 FSP * Sensor Rating: 800 SRU * Armament and Equipment: ** Primary *** 2 × Type B Phaser Emitter ** Secondary *** 2 × Mark VII Photon Torpedo Tube ** Heavy *** 1 × Type H Phaser Emitter ** Advanced *** None ** Equipment *** Tractor Beam Emitter *** Mark VI Probes *** Electronic Counter-Countermeasures (ECCM) Ships in Service (2292) USS Warsaw (NCC-277) USS Lodz (NCC-279) USS Zgierz (NCC-280) USS Pabiancice (NCC-281) USS Pulawy (NCC-282) USS Lublin (NCC-283) USS Bialystok (NCC-284) USS Wizna (NCC-285) USS Szczytno (NCC-286) USS Wladyslaw (NCC-287) USS Stanyslaw (NCC-288) USS Gdansk (NCC-289) USS Poznan (NCC-290) USS Radom (NCC-291) USS Kielce (NCC-292) USS Pruszkow (NCC-293) USS Konin (NCC-294) USS Gdynia (NCC-295) USS Koszalin (NCC-296) USS Gorzo (NCC-297) USS Szczecin (NCC-298) USS Plock (NCC-299) USS Tarnobrzeg (NCC-300) USS Gniezno (NCC-301) USS Wroclaw (NCC-302) Category:Federation Vessels Category:Destroyers Category:Destroyer Leaders